Workers in Bawku threatens to lay down tools

Bawku (UE) Jan. 26, GNA - Workers in the Bawku Municipality, have threatened to lay down their tools and vacate their posts due to the worsening security situation in the area.

They claimed that government had not shown serious commitment and courage to prosecute the perpetrators of heinous crimes in the ethnic conflict and cited the murder of two of their colleagues, Felix Assibi, an official of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, and Shiabu Asunka an Environmental Health Officer.

The workers prompted the Upper East Regional Security Council, Bawku Municipal Security Council and the Bawku Inter Ethnic Committee to hold an emergency meeting to brainstorm on the way forward.

At a meeting with Mr. Mark Woyongo, Regional Minister in Bawku, the workers suggested the need for the security agencies to protect the confidentiality of informants to win the trust and confidence of the people to willingly release information about criminals.

Security hotlines should be made available to the public to call and relay relevant information, whilst government and the security agencies should strengthen intelligence gathering at all times and set up military barracks.

Mr. Mark Woyongo said government was obliged to protect every worker. He said the security agencies had been well equipped to intensify security in the area, and said a military barracks would be established at Bazua near Bawku to keep the peace.

Mr. Woyongo said a joint Police-Military patrol team would be going round to maintain security whilst people arrested in relation to the conflict would be prosecuted in court.

Mr. Woyongo assured the workers that all cases about the conflict would be fast tracked to ensure that justice is dispensed. He appealed to the workers to remain neutral and have full confidence in the security personnel deployed to the area.

He urged them to volunteer information, in relation to the conflict and assured them that their identity would be protected.

The Municipal Chief Executive Mr. Musah Abdulia noted that development in the area have been stalled due to the conflict and called on the people to give peace a chance to rebuild Bawku to its former state. "No investor is prepared to come to the area because it is a conflict zone," he added.

He appealed to the two feuding factions to iron out their differences to make way for peace Mr. Abdulia asked the workers to desist from giving false reports to the media in connection with the conflict and said such reports tend to incite people to misbehave.